MY07 McIntosh System - Upgrade Information

by **Gambit** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 1:58 pm

Sounds great, definitely up to hearing your setup.

Can i ask since i am utilising the MY07 Mcintosh HU should i get the JL cleansweep for it?

Has anyone integrated this setup to the MCintosh?

this one here:
http://mobile.jlaudio.com/products_clea ... rod_id=369

by **cpitts** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 2:12 pm

In all honesty, the factory Mc setup with the factory speakers and properly deadened doors is actually VERY neutral. You can easily hear that the factory cones have been selected well to match the cross-overs in the factory amp. But the problem is they've been tested and selected in a speaker cabinet, not in the car itself, that's why fixing the door setup makes such a difference.

After door deadening, you can set all bass, mid and trebble to 0 and music sounds quite decent (if lacking at the very top end).

by **Gambit** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 5:01 pm

After reading this article on the liberty it sounds as though the stock system is pretty average:
http://www.caraudioaustralia.com/articl ... _part_one/

by **tangcla** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 6:09 pm

Gambit wrote:After reading this article on the liberty it sounds as though the stock system is pretty average:
http://www.caraudioaustralia.com/articl ... _part_one/

Audio components and audio quality is subjective... if you say you're an audio n00b, will you notice the difference?

by **cpitts** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 6:23 pm

That's a MY05 Liberty GT. Quite different to the MY07 setup and the MY10 is different again. Also worth appreciating that is an advert (at best).

No, the factory system is not a high end SQ system. But it is very good for 'beginner/non audio purists' and is easily enhanced with simple sound deadening.

Your initial request said you were a beginner with a $800 budget. Where you're heading now is advanced audio with a $5K budget.

by **Gambit** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 7:16 pm

Yeah definitely a beginner in car audio and that 800 budget still applies, 5k is way too much for what I need. Will take everones advice and first install the dynamat and take it bit by bit.
Having said that I do have a two channel home stereo setup that I enjoy listening to.

by **Gambit** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 7:21 pm

Definitely a budget build no way heading for big build. New in car audio but do enjoy my two Channel home stereo setup so do appreciate SQ.

by **cpitts** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 7:59 pm

2 channel offers good comparison for tracks you know well but depending on how extreme your 2 ch setup is, you may find it very hard to repeat imaging, stage and depth. Car speaker location just isn't good for that. Also, without full time and frequency alignment (not even close to an option for the factory HU - Clarion rebadge) you're not going to get anything like high end 2ch sound.

by **Kekotic** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:09 pm

Audiophiles....something I will never understand

by **cpitts** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:28 pm

chaotic2050 wrote:Audiophiles....something I will never understand

Spare cash.... something I will never understand. :cry:

Speaking of which, just about to get another $US400 worth of upgraded capacitors, resistors and switches for my amp and speakers to tweak the bjeezus out of them. :lol:

by **Kekotic** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 9:10 pm

Going to get a lot of hate from this post - your hate is duly noted but I will post this anyway for some reactions.... :roll:

You need to seek help!
Please don't tell me you buy in to things like gold plated HDMI cables...or FSM forbid...elevated cables :roll:

I have read a few interesting studies on supposed 'audiophiles' and the conclusions of such studies were that these supposed hardcore audiophiles could not differentiate the difference in sound between a $12 audio cable and a $2000(yep they exist) cable.
Why people spend thousands of dollars on this stuff is beyond me. Fair enough if you have a shitty old car with a tape deck or something.....buy a head unit and a couple of speakers. But it's just a car.....it's not like you can just feel the urge to listen to music whenever and go and sit in your car in the garage to listen to it. This is what Home theatre/ipod is for. If people actually cared THAT much about music they wouldn't spend so much $$$ trying to listen to it in an environment like a car with so much external noise.

by **cpitts** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 9:34 pm

hahahaah, yeah. I don't even need to read the article to know what it says.

As with all 'hobbies' the benefit is in the eye (or ear) of the beholder.

It's like modifying cars. Dyno's can be made say anything by the operator and 2 cars with the same peak number will still drive differently but both owners will swear black and blue that theirs is better.

My approach with audio gear is limited by real back to back differences I can hear between my gear and other systems that I place my components into to hear their deficiencies. If I can spend <10% of purchase price on upgrading a few (now very old) internal electrical components that are due for replacement regardless (due to age and heat) then why not give it a go. Damn side cheaper than replacing the amp/speakers/other!!!

I have a mate that just brought a $US1500 power cable. :shock:

That's pushing things a bit far in my book........ but to him it's changing the sound (whether it's good or bad in his mind is his choice). I'm yet to hear the changed setup with this new cord in place but I'll be amazed if anything's changed. Then again, I've been surprised before on changes as simple as interconects or speaker cable.

A healthy dose of scepticism is always helpful though. I keep bringing things back to basic physics and chemistry though. If it doesn't make sense for an AC transmission line setup (music is basically AC voltage & current), then chances are it's dubious.

by **cpitts** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 9:49 pm

chaotic2050 wrote:<snip>If people actually cared THAT much about music they wouldn't spend so much $$$ trying to listen to it in an environment like a car with so much external noise.

Sorry, missed this bit and I TOTALLY agree!

You can get very good audio in a car for a fraction of the price of a home setup. But you will never be able to replicate a home setup because the listening room (a car) is terrible. Why do you think all providers are pushing sound field processors now like Audyssey (?sp?), etc. It's just compensation for all the reflection (glass, plastics) and absorption (seats, carpets, people!) issues the car cabin has.

Get it reasonable, but don't even try to replicate a quality home setup.

by **Kekotic** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 10:15 pm

cpitts wrote:It's like modifying cars. Dyno's can be made say anything by the operator and 2 cars with the same peak number will still drive differently but both owners will swear black and blue that theirs is better.

On one hand I sort of agree with you...
But at the same time, it's a lot different.

I'm picking on people...such as your friend that you mentioned, who believe there is a difference in purchasing these types of gold plated 'monster' type cables.

I know an """"""audiophile"""""" would bawk at the mention of monster cables because they are "overpriced" garbage that offers no quality increase over regular china made $5 HDMI cables (and they would be right because it's been proven)....but these same people are the ones who pride themselves on trying to know everything about audio, but will then later go ahead and purchase a $2000 speaker cable. These are people who are supposedly intelligent, like doctors / scientists etc who are still somehow managing to be suckered in to believing the human ear can perceive these kinds of differences...which it cannot. And even if it theoretically can, that person is assuming they have perfect hearing....which they generally don't have either.

With your analogies to cars you are kind of proving my point though. Of course a lot of this is perceived difference, which is never to be trusted. The way you described it was more like the way I see a dog whistle which is so high pitched that you can't hear it...and you are just judging it's 'quality' on how quickly your dog comes to you, compared to the other persons whistle. People see and hear things that they want to hear, especially when they want to tell other people about it. That's pretty much the way I view audiophiles. Too busy trying to listen to the quality of the sound that they don't even hear the music. Seems kind of pointless to me.

by **cpitts** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 11:20 pm

chaotic2050 wrote:<snip>Too busy trying to listen to the quality of the sound that they don't even hear the music. <snip>

Yes. Agree.
You have to view the hobby as exactly that and be able to get to a point that you can enjoy the music you're listening to in an easy manner for the length of time you want to (i.e.: it's "easy" to listen to, no matter what style). Problem is this pushes some people (the ones you mention) to chase the elusive 'live' sound reproduction. Which can invariably not be reproduced because of how it was recorded and mastered anyway.
So many variables, but that's what drives the uber-techo audio nuts. It's a techo's paradise of numbers, shiny things and ever escellating price tags (surely it's better if it costs more....... right?! :roll:

). And the Dr, scientist, IT (dare I say it) crowds have plenty of those techo's to go around.

If only they'd listen to their tunez and enjoy them. ;-)